The Key to the Money Cabinet and the Five Children

**Summary:** The father only gives the key to the money cabinet to the child who has virtue, not distributing it carelessly to the unworthy.

The evening breeze swept through the window gap, carrying the scent of dusty roads and the rhythmic clatter of an old ceiling fan. In the modest house at the end of the lane, the yellow lamplight cast the shadows of five children sitting sprawled on the wooden floor. The father opened the iron cabinet, his hands trembling as he held the savings from months of wages, only to slam it shut again. He sighed, his gaze sweeping over each child: one buried in a phone, another with feet propped on the table, and yet another chewing betel and spitting on the floor.

"I will be away for a few more days. Someone must handle the household income and expenses. But this key… to whom should I give it?"

He murmured to himself, recalling the years of saving every single dong, from when his five children were small until now that they had all grown, each with vastly different dispositions.

For decades, he and his wife toiled daily, every penny earned like drops of blood and sweat. There were times of endless hunger and times of illness, yet they maintained the family's dignity. Now, when someone to guard the money was needed, he found himself facing a difficult choice. The eldest had left home without a trace for months; the second was a gambler; the third was kind but foolish; the fourth was polite but timid. Only the youngest had brought him peace of mind from childhood onward.

He closed his eyes, recalling how the youngest had found fifty thousand dong at the market and returned it to the old vegetable seller; remembering when his brother dropped money in the yard, the youngest picked it up and gave it back without asking for anything. In contrast, the second had left a charcoal stove unattended, nearly burning the house down, then lied deceitfully and showed greed for food. The third was addicted to cigarettes like a locomotive's chimney and drank alcohol until he collapsed at the gate every day.

"Father, I can take care of it! I'm very good with accounts!"

The second child raised his hand, eyes bright as if to prove himself. The father shook his head, his grip tightening on the table's edge until his knuckles turned white.

"You? Last time you were given five hundred thousand, and it was gone in two days, and you lied to me. I dare not trust you."

The youngest spoke up from the corner of the room, voice soft but clear:

"Father, go in peace. I will record every dong spent. I will help those in need, and I will not waste anything."

He looked at the child: clean clothes, respectful speech, modest and deferential. His heart ached, for he knew well that if he gave the key to the others, the cabinet would be empty as quickly as the wind. He stood, walked to the cabinet, and took out the key.

This was the crux: he understood that if all five children were given the right to open the cabinet, the household would fall apart. Yet his heart still stung at the thought of being unfair to the others.

"I know you all think I am partial. But this is the rule of our home: only the one who can govern themselves and has virtue will be entrusted with this responsibility."

He approached and placed the key in the youngest child's palm. The child bowed his head, tears rolling down his cheeks but said nothing, simply clutching the key tightly.

From that day on, whenever the father was away, the youngest opened the cabinet, managed expenses properly, and at month's end, even had a few thousand dong left over to give him. The household became peaceful and stable, free from losses. The other children grumbled at first, but gradually realizing they lacked something within, they held back and no longer demanded the right. Later, when the father grew old and frail, it was the youngest who took care of his meals and medicine, while the other four were present only intermittently. This inequality, it turned out, was what kept the whole family standing firm.

**Meaning of the Story**

Only those with virtue deserve to enjoy greater freedom. Freedom is not a gift distributed equally to everyone; it is paired with virtue. Those who live ethically will be entrusted with responsibility, while those lacking virtue must be restrained. This is the fair law of life, and it is also in accordance with the karmic law of cause and effect.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang.